Artificial Sweetners

Substituting artificial sweeteners for sugar in recipes can be a challenge because sugar provides so much more than sweetness – volume, browning, moisture, and tenderness are also affected. Substitution is usually easiest in recipes that don’t require baking or rising.

There is a lot of controversy surrounding artificial sweeteners. Are they safe? Artificial sweeteners must be approved by the Food Drug and Administration (FDA) for use in foods or as a table top sweetener before they can be used by food processors or marketed for sale. The following sweeteners have been determined to safe for use by most people. The exception is for those very rare people who are born with a condition called phenylketonuria. These people cannot metabolize foods that contain large amounts of phenylalanine, one of the key ingredients in aspartame. There have been some scary reports on the internet about sweeteners. While the internet can be a wonderful source of information, it’s also a place where incorrect information can be distributed quickly and widely! Always look for food safety information from reliable sources, such as the American Dietetic Association or the American Diabetes Association.

There are two types of sweeteners: sugar alcohols and no-calorie sweeteners.

Sorbitol and mannitol are sugar alcohols which are used in chewing gum and hard candies. They provide about the same number of calories as table sugar, or sucrose, however they are absorbed more slowly by the body. These sugar alcohols can cause gastrointestinal upset – read labels carefully.

No-calorie sweeteners include saccharin, aspartame, and acesulfame-K and sucralose.

• Saccharin , (i.e. sold as Sweet n’ Low TM and Sweet Twin TM and as a brown sugar substitute) is very stable for baking, but it has a noticeable aftertaste when used in large quantities.
• Aspartame,(i.e. sold as NutraSweet TM and Equal TM) has very little aftertaste, but it loses its sweet taste when heated. Therefore it’s difficult to use for baked or cooked products.
• Acesulfame-K (i.e. sold as Sweet One TM or Swiss Sweet TM) has less aftertaste than saccharin, and is more heat stable than aspartame.
• Sucralose (i.e. sold as Splenda TM) has the same volume and sweetness of sugar and is heat stable for baking and cooking.

Tips for using artificial sweeteners:

• Check package for an 800 number or website for recipes specifically designed for use with that particular sweetener.
• Most artificial sweeteners are 100 times plus sweeter than sugar. They need to be used in small amounts at first and increased only gradually to avoid an overly sweet taste or unpleasant aftertaste.
• It’s possible to use less and get more! When two different classes of artificial sweeteners are combined (i.e. saccharin + aspartame), the result is much sweeter taste than it is when one kind is used alone. This can result in money savings.

Also see:   K-State Research & Extension Sugar, How Sweet It Is publication
K-State Research & Extension Sugars and Your Health publication
K-State Research & Extension Diabetes Awareness and Management Fact Sheet publication
K-State Research & Extension Diet for Diabetes Fact Sheet publication

Lori Wuellner, LWuellne@oznet.ksu.edu
County Extension Agent, Family and Consumer Services
Wyandotte County, Kansas
Kansas State University Research and Extension